Checkfront Spotlight: The Ol Pejeta Conservancy

by Mia SteinbergMarch 24, 2015

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 90,000-acre former cattle ranch located in the Laikipia region of Kenya. It is the largest rhino sanctuary in East Africa, and home to the “Big 5” (black and white rhinos, leopards, elephants, buffalos, and lions), as well as zebras, hartebeests, cheetahs, chimpanzees, and many more. It is on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s green list of protected areas, one of only two African conservancies to have passed the criteria. It also regularly publishes research results from biological and ecological conservation journals.

With over 70,000 tourists visiting each year, Ol Pejeta has watched Checkfront completely transform its entire business. Before Checkfront, they had no system at all. “When we first started this process with a developer, we were quoted $500,000 to create something with less than half the features of Checkfront,” says Robert Breare, Chief Operating Officer. “Now, for the development cost of a few hours invested in content and some testing—say $1000 or so—we have something infinitely better and more robust.”

For Ol Pejeta, Checkfront improves business on multiple levels. Rather than wait for customers to arrive and pay at the gate, they now see reservations made three or more months in advance, paid at time of booking and easily tracked. Ol Pejeta’s staff now knows how many people will be visiting each day, which helps them plan ahead and create the best possible experience for guests. Checkfront also encourages people to buy activities and other extras along with the conservancy entry fee. And with Checkfront, Ol Pejeta has the unique opportunity to gather a database of names and build relationships with visitors—a vital component in online marketing and customer retention.

Checkfront is in the process of completely changing the game for us~Robert Breare, Chief Operating Officer

Ol Pejeta has also made use of Checkfront’s partner accounts feature; they are able to receive commission when customers book with their hotel partners, and they also have multiple tourist partner agents and operators using Checkfront’s new commission system. This has sped up the booking process for agents and given their customers a faster route into the conservancy, as there is less cash-handling at the gate. This is Ol Pejeta’s favourite feature of Checkfront.

“Checkfront is in the process of completely changing the game for us,” says Breare. “We are the first conservancy in East Africa to offer an online booking system. This will give us happier visitors, advance cash, and better traffic management of our protected natural areas.”

A visit to Ol Pejeta is a life-changing experience, and with Checkfront’s online booking system they are able to make that experience as rich and fulfilling as possible for each and every guest.